I seem to get a bunch of the following in there.
Code:
7/11/16 8:36:42.000 PM kernel[0]: SMC::smcReadKeyAction ERROR F1Mn kSMCBadArgumentError(0x89) fKeyHashTable=0x0xffffff803b813000
Code:
7/11/16 8:41:57.000 PM kernel[0]: SMC::smcReadKeyAction ERROR TC0D kSMCBadArgumentError(0x89) fKeyHashTable=0x0xffffff803b813000
Both of these messages repeat over and over every 5 seconds, with one coming after the other.
The smcReadKeyAction error is unlikely to be related, as it's from the System Management Controller (fan and power). It's a known error, and probably due to incompatibility with some 3rd party utility such as iStat.
I also seem to have this each time I start a backup.
Code:
7/11/16 9:01:01.608 PM com.apple.backupd[53688]: Destination (TM hard drive) could not be found (url: (null) destinationID: D8CE26D5-BB24-4798-BF0E-7C76C3E7CA21)
Code:
7/11/16 9:01:01.610 PM com.apple.backupd[53688]: Backup failed with error 18: The backup disk could not be found.
Maybe that should clear up some issues I've been having as of late.
I see a similar message every half hour if the Time Machine drive is unplugged, but haven't seen it when starting a backup. You should be seeing "Starting automatic backup", "Backing up to ...", etc., ending with "Backup completed successfully.". If the drive's really not being found, I'd first try re-selecting it in the preference pane.
The external drive should be added to Spotlight's Privacy list so it doesn't try to index it. I haven't heard of a requirement for Spotlight to index the main drive for Time Machine's operation (though it's quite useful in its own right).
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After some cleanup through Onyx, it's a little better, and the "Preparing Backup" phase seems to go as normal. Only problem is that the backup seems to stall for a few hours after reaching a certain point in the backup, and I suspect there's some type of bad file that's holding this up. Any idea of what this might be?
There's a way to see exactly what Time Machine's doing. Launch Terminal, stretch its window as wide as the screen, and copy and paste this command:
sudo fs_usage -w | grep backupd
Enter your password and it should list each file as it backs them up (a few lines per file). Type a Control-C to stop it.